Faked receipts lead to misconduct plea for former UT director of football operations

The former director of football operations for the University of Tennessee pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge of official misconduct for faking receipts to account for his expenditure of cash advances.

Chris Spognardi, 32, pleaded guilty Thursday before Knox County Criminal Court Judge Scott Green.

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UT first placed Spognardi on paid leave in August 2016 and, six months later, fired him, citing “information learned by the University’s Office of Audit and Compliance.” The university did not elaborate.

Faked receipts

Spognardi appeared in court with attorney Jeff Hagood under what is known as an information, which means the former director of football operations agreed to skip a grand jury review of the case against him.

Assistant Knox County District Attorney General Bill Bright told Green that UT at the time gave Spognardi cash advances to cover travel expenses. He was required to account for his spending through receipts and invoices.

Bright said that when a question arose about Spognardi’s spending in July 2016, Spognardi “was unable to account for certain portions of funds under his control” and created “fictitious” receipts to account for the discrepancy.

Spognardi admitted during an audit by the state Comptroller’s Office and UT that he crafted fake receipts “to conceal the fact that he could not account for those funds.” Bright said the use of fake receipts spanned from June 2015 to July 2016.

He is not accused in the information of stealing the money or misusing it. Bright said Spognardi has agreed to repay UT $14,085. Hagood said Spognardi, who now lives in Florida, would repay the money before the Feb. 9 sentencing hearing set by Green on Thursday.

In a plea deal with the state, Spognardi is receiving a one-year probationary sentence and will be asking Green at the sentencing hearing to grant him what is known as judicial diversion.

It is a special privilege reserved for non-violent, first-time offenders in which Spognardi can seek to have the conviction erased from his record if he doesn’t fly afoul of the law or any conditions of probation during that one-year period.

More:Chris Spognardi, who had been on paid leave, fired by Tennessee

More:UT cites ‘ongoing audit’ in release of records about Spognardi

'Archaic system'

Spognardi's responsibilities included day-to-day operations of off-field football matters, such as travel. His salary was $80,800.

Hagood was not immediately available for comment after the hearing but has blamed the cash advance system in prior comments about the case.

"Chris is one of the top football operations guys in the country," Hagood said in an email to USA Today Network-Tennessee after Spognardi was fired. "It is beyond bothersome to me that our business office at the University would have in place such an archaic system of 'cash only payments' on these out-of-town and bowl trips that practically guarantee problems for everybody.  Better judgment should have been displayed here."

Spognardi came to UT in 2013 as assistant to then-coach Butch Jones and was promoted to director of football operations in 2014. Spognardi had been on staff with Jones at both Cincinnati and Central Michigan.